It's not just military secrets that governments keep close. And some information, like the recently revealed allegation that Winston Churchill ordered a cover-up of a UFO sighting, seems more amusing than disturbing. TIME takes a look at odd hush-hush moments

The Loch Ness Monster

By Nate RawlingsFriday, Aug. 06, 2010

Bentley Archive / Popperfoto / Getty Images

In 1934, a Scottish doctor claimed he saw a monster in the deep lake known as Loch Ness. He grabbed his camera and snapped what became known as the "surgeon's photograph," one of the iconic photos of the 20th century. A dark shape that resembles a brontosaurus with a long, curved neck appears to be swimming in the water. It was enough to stir a willing public, and since then, thousands of people have claimed to have spotted the aquatic creature, only to be rebuffed by skeptics.
But were the believers wrong? At least some in the Scottish government said no. Newly published documents reveal that a former Scottish police chief named William Fraser opined, "That there is some strange creature in Loch Ness seems now beyond doubt, but that the police have any power to protect it is very doubtful." While the Scottish government itself has yet to confirm Nessie's existence, the new documents give hope to the many monster hunters out there.